


We’ll Make This Work

by JaneyKatherineHummingbird



Series: Arranged [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Arranged Marriage, Drabble, F/M, Reader Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-05-04 00:04:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14580585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneyKatherineHummingbird/pseuds/JaneyKatherineHummingbird
Summary: Another from the Arranged Marriage Prompt list: this one angsty.





	1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Jim/Reader

“We’ll make this work out.” 

You wiped your red, tears eyes and stared very skeptically at the tux clad man beside you who’d just said these words.

“How?” You rasped. “We’ve both admitted we were in love with other people. Not a good sign for a marriage, especially this kind.” 

“Two people who didn’t even try to fight for us,” Jim answered, a touch of bitter pain in his voice that mirrored what you were feeling. 

Coming from two close and powerful families, your marriage to Jim had been decided for you long ago. You’d tried your hardest to get out of it, being very much in love with someone else, but the controlling forces (the mothers) were too powerful to fight and now here you were, in a limo with Jim, heading for some fancy hotel for a sham of a “honeymoon.” 

“Yeah. I really thought Todd loved me enough to defy them,” you said in a small voice. That was the deepest hurt you faced right then: heartbreak that he hadn’t fought for you. 

Jim reached over and squeezed your hand sympathetically. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N. This isn’t how we envisioned things ending up at all. You deserved better.” 

“Thanks, Jim,” you sniffed. He may have been an insufferable brat growing up, but no one could accuse him of not having a good heart. 

There was silence for awhile as the two of you stared out the window, Lost in your thoughts and sadness. 

Finally, you sighed and looked back at Jim, determination crossing your features.

“You know, maybe you’re right. Maybe we CAN make this work: if we try. The way I see it, we can end up two ways: stewing in misery and ignoring each other for the rest of our lives, or we can be fabulous and make Leonard and Todd bitterly regret their life choices.” 

Jim turned his face back to you, a tiny hint of smile on his lips. 

“Fabulous, you say? I like the sound of that. You won’t have to try hard for that; you’re pretty fabulous already, Y/N.” 

He gave an admiring look at your elaborate wedding dress, which had been a constant annoyance to you, but had looked incredible. 

“Thanks, Jim,” you responded with a sly grin, “but you ain’t seen nothing yet. I’ve got levels of fabulous Beyond your wildest dreams.” 

“Can’t wait to see you unleash it,” he said with a grin, blue eyes getting some of their sparkle back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back!!!!

We’ll Make This Work 2

Two months into your marriage and you were getting used to Jim and being married to him. Though it wasn’t what could be called a real marriage yet, the two of you got along well, all things considered. The meddling mothers were both annoyed that You and Jim weren’t living with them, but you’d put your foot down and Jim backed you up. 

“That’s the last thing we need right now, dealing with Them on top of all our other issues,” he’d muttered. 

So you’d settled into a roomy apartment suite and gone on with your lives, almost like nothing had changed. But separate rooms or not, there was no getting away from the constant reminder when you looked down at your left hand and the fact your mail was now addressed to Mrs. Kirk. 

You didn’t usually see each other much during the day, but Jim made it a point to text and always let you know if his routine varied, which you appreciated and tried to return. After all, your dad used to say communication was key to a relationship. 

At first, you’d spent much of the weeks after your wedding pining after Todd and nursing a broken heart, while watching Jim doing the same over Leonard. In fact, many evenings before bed, You’d sat and held each other silently in mutual comfort. Gradually, though, the ache had become less sharp and the two of you started spending the time talking through it. 

It turned out, your husband was really a very thoughtful and insightful guy. 

One day, he’d found you awake at 3:00 am, crying in front of the TV after a particularly painful dream about Todd. 

He’d handed you tissues, wrapped you in a blanket and asked, “moose tracks or cookie dough? I’ve found Ice cream helps significantly in these situations.” 

You’d given him a teary smile and pointed at the cookie dough Ice cream, which the two of you proceeded to devour in silence. 

Luckily, the tears weren’t as common anymore, but it felt good to know you could talk to him about it. Todd and Leonard weren’t taboo topics. He’d told you that right away.

“They were important parts of our lives. Pretending they didn’t happen won’t do us any good right now, Y/N,” he’d observed. 

“You’re right, Jim,” you agreed, a bittersweet smile on your face. “Can’t move forward until we’ve dealt with the past.” 

Jim had shared how he’d first met, Leonard, or “Bones” as he called him, in a very low point in his life and how the sarcastic Doctor had helped him through some very hard times. 

You reminisced about meeting Todd while waiting in line at the grocery store and how sparks had flown right off the bat. He’d managed a restaurant and this was scorned by your snobbish mother, but you had fallen hard. 

“He’d bring me my favorite foods after work and we’d eat in the park and watch birds and squirrels and dogs. He was interested in ornithology. Taught me quite a few bird species.” 

“Sounds like an interesting guy,” Jim commented. 

“Yeah,” you confirmed. “We’d been talking about eloping before everything went down, which is why I was so hurt he just dropped me rather than stand up to her.” 

Jim gave you a knowing look, One you’d shared many times before, and squeezed your hand. 

“Bones wasn’t really ready to hear talk of marriage,” he said, “but I was sure we were destined for each other. We balanced each other so well. Could read each other like a book. He was the best thing that happened to me: or so I thought.” 

“I’m sorry, Jim,” you said sincerely. “Maybe we could go out and run off the angst? I know a great path.” 

“Sounds like a great plan, Y/N,” Jim agreed, brightening up. “It’s been way too long since I’ve had a good run.” 

So, you added another item to your do-together routine and eventually started doing them first thing in the morning. 

About three months into the marriage, you were starting to think less about Todd as your world began to meld with Jim’s more. The two of you were much more at ease around each other and you’d started to really look forward to coming home to him every evening. Then Jim had to go on a long business trip and you started realizing how close you’d grown. The apartment felt cold and empty without his presence and you really missed his welcoming smiles and goofy faces. 

“I can’t be falling for him already, can I?” You asked yourself, bewilderment stopping you short in your tracks. Finally, you shook your head. It was absurd. You were just missing the company, you told yourself. 

So when Jim came home you overcompensated by being distant and elusive, prompting him to wonder what was going on.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Y/N,” he sighed, after finally cornering you. “You’re acting like I’ve got the plague.” 

“Nothing’s wrong, Jim,” you denied. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind, that’s all. I’m very glad you’re home safe,” you added, putting on a perky smile. 

Your husband wasn’t fooled. 

“Well, you know you can talk to me about what’s bothering you, right?” He said gently, blue eyes looking you over carefully. 

You almost caved. Why did he have to look so caring? Ugh. 

“I know. I’m not ready yet, that’s all,” you hedged.

“That’s okay,” Jim reassured you, “I’ll be here when you are, Y/N.”


	3. Chapter 3

We’ll make this work, 3

Jim took his morning run by himself the next few days, hoping you weren’t mad at him and wondering what was going on. He’d been very much enjoying getting to know you and developing the relationship. His time away had caused him to do a lot of thinking as well and he believed he’d started to heal from his own heartbreak and that you were playing a large part in said healing. 

Despite the intense feelings of hurt and betrayal he’d been struggling with after the wedding, he’d decided he really did want to make the best of things and wanted to ease your sadness if he could. This situation was not easy, but so far, it seemed to be going as well as could be expected. He hoped he hadn’t inadvertently hurt you and wracked his brain to try to think of what he might have done. 

Deep in his thoughts, he almost collided with another runner. 

“Sorry, man,” he said quickly, steadying himself. Seeing who it was, he did a double take. He’d seen pictures and this certainly looked like your ex, Todd. 

Todd seemed to recognize Jim, too, because a strange expression crossed his face and he looked shocked. 

“Jim Kirk?” He inquired. 

“That’s me,” Jim said. “And you’re Todd?” 

“Yes,” the other man confirmed with a sigh. “I assume......Y/N’s talked about me?” 

“Yep,” Jim confirmed. “She had it bad for you.” 

“But she married you,” Todd replied, a shadow crossing his eyes. Jim sighed.

“Yeah, And wasn’t happy about it. Once you backed off, she felt she had no choice. Why in the heck DID you back off?” 

Todd looked away for a minute, then ran his hand through his dark hair and heaved a sigh.

“I was a chicken. Plain and simple. Got afraid of negative publicity and the wrath of the great Winona Kirk. Don’t think I haven’t regretted it everyday since, knowing we can never be together and I helped doom her to a loveless marriage. How is she, by the way?” 

“Good. We’re both working through a lot of things right now, but believe me, I highly doubt that this will remain a loveless marriage. If It proves otherwise, I’ll let her go, mothers or no mothers.” 

The two men looked intently, each assessing the other, until finally Todd nodded. 

“She’s an incredible woman and I hope things work out for you. Just........be good to her and tell her I’m sorry for me, okay. I was a fool and I know it.”

Jim nodded and shook Todd’s hand. He could see the guy was hurting and regretful. (He wondered if Bones was, as well.)

“I will. I promise you,” he declared. 

“Thanks,” Todd sighed. “Nice to meet you, Jim.” 

“Same,” Jim answered and they went their separate ways. 

He came home very thoughtful and was so quiet that it made you concerned and you forgot about your wariness around him.

“What’s up, Jim? You’re never this quiet.” You asked, as he was preparing to leave for the office.

“Oh, I ran into Todd this morning,” he replied. 

You sucked in a breath and came closer.

“You did? How was he? Did he ask about me?” You questioned, seizing him by his jacket and blocking the door. 

Jim chuckled. “Slow down there, Ms. Twenty Questions. He was definitely very regretful, he looked healthy, and he said to tell you he was sorry.”

“Oh,” you said, mixed emotions pouring through you. Somehow, you didn’t feel the satisfaction you’d expected you would when hearing of his feelings. Instead, there was sadness mingled with relief and a fleeting touch of guilt.

You’d forgotten how close you were standing to Jim until you heard him ask “Are You Okay?”

You looked up to see his blue eyes just inches away looking down at you, with that gentle worried expression that was starting to really get to you. You swallowed hard. 

“I think so. Thanks for telling me, Jim. It means a lot.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

Before you could step back, he wrapped you in a brief hug. 

“Have a wonderful, day, Y/N. I’ll see you tonight.” 

Then he was out the door with a wave, leaving you standing slack-jawed behind him, wondering why a simple hug had thrown you so much. Denial was getting harder and harder.

At work all day crunching numbers, you didn’t have time to analyze your emotions towards Todd and Jim too much, but you knew this much: Todd was history and regretful or not, there was no going back. 

A couple weeks later, you and Jim attended a society gathering hosted by his mother. It was a necessary evil, but it was kind of fun to dress up and you liked making Jim’s eyes bug out when you emerged from your room in your new black and gold dress. 

“Wow. You look....stunning,” he managed, looking you up and down. 

“Thank you, Jim. It goes without saying that you’re pretty fabulous, too,” you returned, feeling downright giddy over the way he’d looked at you and giving him an equally admiring glance. Jim did look amazing in a tux, after all. 

“Thanks, dear,” he replied with a wink and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

“Lead on, hubby,” you replied saucily. 

Clearly, Jim was one of the centers of attention as throngs of the rich and famous came up to congratulate him and butter you up. It was tiresome, but stayed close to Jim most of the evening and supported him as he supported you. You were introduced to his work partners, Spock and Uhura, a very stunning couple who were both brilliant and gracious. 

It was inevitable, though, that eventually Jim was pulled away in a conversation with his old boss and you were left alone temporarily. 

Wandering over to the appetizer tables, you scanned the elaborate options, looking for something that actually looked good. 

“What happened to good ole’ cheese and crackers?” You muttered to yourself. 

“That’s what I want to know,” agreed a rumble male voice beside you. You looked up to see a rather disgruntled brown haired gentleman, holding a glass of champagne and eyeing the expensive snacks with equal disdain. 

You wracked your brain to think where you’d seen him before then you remembered the picture Jim had showed you. 

“Do I know you?” The man asked, furrowing how brow. 

“You probably know of me,” you answered. “Y/N Kirk.” 

“Ah. Jim’s wife,” he said, nodding very slowly as if saying the words physically hurt him. 

“Leonard McCoy,” he introduced, recovering himself and shaking your hand firmly. 

“Nice to meet you, Leonard,” you returned, hoping to put him more at ease. “Jim’s told me a lot about you. Says you saved his life multiple times.” 

“Fool kid practically tried to throw it away,” Leonard snorted. “Was convinced he wasn’t worth it. Took me years to convince him otherwise.” 

You glanced over at Jim, who had his back turned and was animatedly talking to Spock. 

“Why would be have thought that?” You queried. “He’s one of the smartest and kindest men I’ve met.”

Leonard looked at you keenly before answering. 

“He’s always struggled with his self worth, living in the shadow of his late father and then the way Winona treats him doesn’t help either. He’s the kind that needs to be reassured and loved for who he is, not who he thinks he has to be.” 

“Ah. You already seem to have done him a lot of good, Leonard,” you observed. “He’s really changed from the wild kid I remember. 

“You knew him before.....the arrangement....?” Leonard asked carefully. 

“Yeah. Our families were close and he and I are the same age,” you said. “I really, really didn’t like him back then. Funny how that’s changed since I married him.”

Leonard chuckled. 

“That’s the opposite of how it usually goes, so good for you.”

“Does he know you’re here?” You asked after a moment of charged silence. 

“No, and I’m going to keep it that way,” the doctor observed, looking at Jim with sad resignation. “Just wanted to see him from afar I guess. See how he’s getting along.” 

Your heart ached for him, but you just nodded. 

“I understand. I’m sorry it worked out like this, Leonard. I should have fought it harder.” 

“You’re the last person to blame for this, Y/N,” he said seriously, hazel eyes squinting at Winona. “And I think you and Jim are clearly smitten with each other, even if you don’t know it yet. I saw the way you were looking at each other earlier.” 

You smiled shyly. 

“I fought against it for awhile,” you admitted, “But it turns out it’s pretty much impossible to NOT fall for Jim Kirk.” 

Leonard nodded knowingly. “Yep, damnit. Kid works his wiles and his charm and before you know it, you’re a goner. Beware of those puppy dog eyes. They can get you to do almost anything.”

You chuckled. “Oh, I’m already finding that out. Thank you for being so gracious, Leonard. You have every right to be hating me right now.”

He shrugged. 

“Like I said, Not your fault. It happened. It does me good to see he’s with someone who treats him right.” 

He suddenly ducked behind a group of people as Jim turned and looked around the room for you. 

“That’s my cue to leave,” Leonard said, lowering his voice and edging away. “It was nice to meet you Y/N. You take care now. Tell your rascal husband to behave and be good to you.”

You smiled at the doctor. “I will. Good-bye, Leonard.”

“Bye, Mrs. Kirk.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn’t as angsty as it could have been, but it got me writing again after five months.

We’ll Make This Work 4

After this rather interesting conversation at the party, you and Jim went through a busy time at your jobs it was nearly two weeks before you were able to have a good conversation again. When Jim came in the door, you seized him in a bearhug. 

“Missed me, Y/N?” He asked, eyes twinkling. 

“You could say that,” you murmured, face buried in his shoulder. 

Contact between the two of you had been becoming more personal and frequent, though you and Jim hadn’t yet put words to what was happening. Deep down, though, you knew you’d fallen for him. The question was: did he feel the same? You weren’t sure yet if he was ready to move on and we’re almost afraid of what the answer would be. 

“I missed you, too, hon.” Jim responded, holding you tightly for a minute. There was something in his voice that made your heart skip a beat and you found your courage. You tilted up your face to look at him with a teasing smile.

“Ohh, have we reached the pet names stage, darling?”

Jim liked the way that sounded. 

“I think we have, beautiful.” 

He responded lightly, but meaningfully and your cheeks grew warm with happiness. 

“Hmm. I like it,” you agreed. “Now let’s go stuff our faces so we can have some quality conversation. I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

“Oh?” Jim asked a trifle cautiously. 

“Don’t worry. I think we’ll be on the same page on this one,” you assured him. “Just want to get things out in the open, so to speak.” 

It felt cozily domestic chatting with Jim about work stuff over dinner and sharing dish duty. 

“Just like a normal married couple,” you thought.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Jim asked, when the two of you were settled into your favorite couch. 

“You know how I told you about seeing Leonard at the party, right?” You began. 

“Right,” Jim said slowly. 

“Well, other than threatening to kick your ass if you didn’t treat me right, he also observed that we’re smitten with each other,” you informed him, with a smirk. 

Jim chuckled. “Bones is.....very perceptive.” 

You raised your eyebrow and looked at Jim searchingly. 

“You’re saying he’s right?” 

Jim nodded. “At least on my end. I can’t speak for you, Of course.”

You grabbed Jim’s hand and laced your fingers with his. 

“I have indeed fallen for you, James T. Kirk. I tried to deny it for awhile, but the longer I’ve spent around you, the more it becomes clear: I’m falling in love with my husband.” 

Jim’s smile grew wide and dimpled, though his eyes were misty. 

“And I am very much falling in love with my wife,” he said tenderly, causing you to melt and get closer to him. 

“I thought I’d be pretty miserable for awhile yet, but our plan of spending time together seems to have paid off. I don’t get those twinges over Todd anymore,” you admitted. “He’s moving into the background.”

“Hmm. I get what you’re saying. Much as I miss Bones’s friendship, I’ve got to the point I’m not angry at him or stewing over it. Looking back, I failed too.” 

“We live, we learn,” you remarked gently, looking up at Jim and shamelessly admiring him. Boy, did he have a fine profile.

“Careful, Y/N. If you keep looking at me that way, I just may have to kiss you,” he playfully warned. 

You batted your eyelashes at him and kept right on. 

“By all means feel free, darling,” you encouraged. 

Jim obliged. It was your first real kiss and unlike the staged one at the wedding, full of feeling. It started out soft and tentative, then quickly deepened as it went on. When you came up for air, you were both grinning. 

“You’re good at this husband thing, Jim.” You said, running your hand along his face happily. 

“This is just the start, babe,” he replied meaningfully. “I sure hope I can always love you the way you deserve.” 

“Aw, Jim,” you sighed. “You’re sweet. I’m sure we’ll have our ups and downs, but considering what I expected it would be like, it’s turned out to be a blessing.” 

“We’ll never admit it to our moms, though.” Jim said, a rakish twinkle in his eye.

“Never,” you declared.


End file.
